- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Graveyard Keeper is one of those games that completely defy expectations, whether that be a positive or negative. In the most basic terms, it's a rather intriguing combination of Stardew Valley/Harvest Moon inspired gameplay and completely ridiculous graveyard management. If you're worried a game like this could become too morbid to be something you can actually relax to, I would say not to worry as Graveyard Keeper seems to be well aware of its potential problems given that the actual decisions you'll get to make are seemingly all over-the-top.
Since trying to explain something like Graveyard Keeper through words alone is a nearly impossible task, allow me to share with you the recently posted and rather lengthy gameplay trailer. It'll give you a pretty good idea of what to expect and just how over-the-top it all is. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
After being teased for around two years now, Edmund McMillen and James Id have finally revealed some actual gameplay footage from The Legend of Bum-bo. In short, it's a turn-based puzzle RPG that will have you form pagan glyphs (via a match 4 puzzle system) in order to use offensive and defensive abilities, as well as create resources used to cast powerful 'spells'. While it might be too early to tell, it really does seem like The Legend of Bum-bo is going to be a bit of a new take on the PuzzleQuest formula.
If you're not sure what exactly that entails, or if you're just curious to see what The Legend of Bum-bo even looks like, allow me to share with you the recently posted trailer. It should give you a pretty darn good idea of what to expect. Have a gander:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you've ever played The Banner Saga, then Ash of Gods: Redemption should be immediately familiar. It is a turn-based RPG with a heavy focus on storytelling and plenty of difficult choices to make, as well as world so dangerous that even the main characters can perish if you manage to fumble your way through enough events.
What might be the most interesting part, however, is that Ash of Gods does not use random dice rolls in order to determine the results in combat. So if you're good enough, you'll be able to plan out your moves in such a way that you leave each combat encounter with the least amount of wasted resources. If everything goes haywire and you're left facing certain doom, worry not as you'll also have the option to sacrifice your own health for a last-ditch attack. Not exactly something you'd want to constantly use, but it's a nice safeguard from essentially orchestrating your own defeat due to a lack of randomness.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War, besides being far too segmented of a name, is an upcoming 4X turn-based strategy set in the Warhammer 40k universe that will have you lead one of four factions: Space Marines, the Imperial Guard, Orks and Necrons. As you might expect given the differences between them, each one will feature their own unique units, buildings, technologies, and most importantly of all, playstyle.
Besides their gameplay differences, each faction will also have their own individual storyline to explore as you venture across Gladius Prime, a world heavily tainted by the warp. No story details have been revealed just yet, but you can expect to see randomly generated maps filled with powerful ancient artifacts, hostile wildlife, and various resources you'll want to secure before your enemies get a chance to do so.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: Satisfactory is heading over to Steam on June 8, 2020.
Coffee Stain Studios, the developers behind Sanctum and the more famous Goat Simulator, have now come out to announce a brand new game. The actual details are still a complete mystery, but what I can tell you is that the game's name is Satisfactory (with the focus being on the 'factory' part of the title) and that it has rather lovely visuals.
If you would like to give it a look for yourself and see if I've somehow managed to miss something in the incredibly brief teaser trailer, you'll find the video right below. It's not very long so I'd definitely recommend checking it out, if for no other reason than the adorable lizard-dog it features prominently:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update #2]: Necromunda: Underhive Wars has now arrived for PC and consoles, though not without a fair few bugs.
[Update]: Warhammer 40k themed tactical RPG Necromunda: Underhive Wars is launching on September 8, 2020!
Rogue Factor, developers you might recognize from their work on the rather solid Mordheim: City of the Damned, have announced their next foray into the Warhammer universe. However, instead of going with Warhammer Fantasy, this time around they'll be exploring the grim darkness of the far future with the Warhammer 40,000 themed Necromunda: Underhive Wars.
Much like Mordheim, the gameplay in Necromunda will be a turn-based affair with a heavy focus on customization. In other words, you will be able to customize almost every aspect of your gang members, everything from their appearance to their loadout. As your characters grow in power they will be able to unlock even more skills and weapons, so it really comes down to choosing whatever playstyle you enjoy, and then trying to form a team around that idea. A fairly simple concept, but one that has been proven to work many times before.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
After five years of development, as well as a year and a half in Steam Early Access, the stylish action-RPG Ghost of a Tale has now finally released on PC. The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions are in the works as well, though there is currently no official release date set just yet. According to the developers, the best estimate they can offer is "later this year" as they're still getting prepared for the whole certification process.
As for the gameplay itself, Ghost of a Tale is primarily focused on immersion and exploration. Since you are a tiny little mouse you will need to use stealth and disguises in order to avoid much larger enemies, as well as rely on your environment for both safety and a means of fighting back. After all, a giant rat might be able to chew your face off in a single bite, but that tends to be quite hard to do when an entire rack of barrels collapses on its head!
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
If you're up for wracking your brain with a variety of increasingly difficult puzzles, all the while enjoying some rather lovely ambiance, you might be interested to hear that the first-person puzzle-adventure Q.U.B.E. 2 has now arrived for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It offers eleven major areas with around 80 individual puzzles, full color blind support with symbols as color aid, as well as a mysterious storyline to unravel.
Speaking of which, you will be playing as Amelia Cross, a naive archaeologist that suddenly finds herself stranded among the sand-swept ruins of an ancient and quite possibly alien civilization. In order to escape you'll have to explore the maze-like monolith, solve puzzles to unlock new areas, as well as "come to terms with a devastating truth that will shake your world". A relatively simple premise, but for a puzzle-adventure I feel that's probably the best approach given that you'll mostly be focused on figuring out whatever set of problems lie before you.
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
These days it is not easy for an indie game to stand out in terms of visuals, but the relatively recently announced puzzle-adventure Tala has managed to do just that. As you can see in the image above, it features a combination of nature photography and traditional animation, with the end result being downright adorable to behold.
If you're wondering how all of it looks like in motion, however, allow me to share with you the original reveal trailer. It's not very long, but it'll give you a pretty good idea of what Tala is all about. Have a gander, it's well worth the minute:
- By Ash
- in Indie Games
[Update]: It took a while, but Firmament will be launching in the first quarter of 2023!
After many, many years of waiting the world finally saw Cyan bring out a brand new spiritual successor to Myst back in 2016 - the highly atmospheric and utterly bizarre Obduction. Thankfully, fans of puzzle-adventures will not have to wait as long for the next one as Cyan has just recently unveiled their newest steampunk adventure Firmament!
There are currently very few details available about Firmament, but on the positive side there is a fairly lengthy teaser trailer, so if you're interested in what exactly Cyan cooked up this time around you'll find the video right below. Have a look, it's quite an intriguing one: